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Cops: Bensenville man caught growing pot in forest preserve

A Bensenville man was arrested as he tended to more than 100 marijuana plants in a forest preserve near Addison, authorities said Tuesday.

Police were responding Friday afternoon to a citizen complaint at Cricket Creek Forest Preserve when they found the illegal crop, said Deputy Chief Philip Gunnell of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District Police.

Officers monitored the area and arrested 29-year-old Ismael Garcia-Gomez after he arrived later the same day and began tending to the plants, Gunnell said.

Police estimated there were between 100 and 150 marijuana plants. Authorities said Garcia-Gomez had cutting shears, water buckets and a garden hoe. According to court records, he also is accused of cutting down multiple trees, causing more than $300 in damage.

Garcia-Gomez, of the 100 block of East Crest Avenue in Bensenville, was charged with cannabis production and possession, criminal damage to property, possession of drug paraphernalia and littering.

He was being held in DuPage jail Tuesday on $75,000 bail and would have to post $7,500 to be released, officials said.

Cricket Creek is a 196-acre forest preserve between Route 83 and Villa Avenue near Addison.

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